


Not sleeping at home

by marishawrites



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-06
Updated: 2011-09-06
Packaged: 2017-10-23 12:15:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marishawrites/pseuds/marishawrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Off to save Earth again, but this time it is out of the Doctor's hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not sleeping at home

**Author's Note:**

> Event though I created an original character as the hero of this story. This is not a Mary Sue Story, but maybe more a Doctor Who Story for its intended audience: children.  
> Again a special thanks to thetimelady for betareading this rather long story!!!

Not sleeping at home

 

By Marisha

 

 

 

 _My ears still burn when I hear my mother retell ‘the disaster’ over and over again. Hot anger boils up as I fight down the embarrassment. The shame feels like a white flash racing through me till it transforms into steam shooting out of my ears; shame about being too scared, ashamed to face my friends, but most of all the shame of them making fun of me._

 _They laugh about me and don’t even bother to conceal it. Anger seethes into rage at feeling helpless in a world that has no words for me to express the why. There are no words, or if there are they, all tumble out of my head when I try to explain myself. But try to defend yourself against laughing people; feel the words slip out from right under your tongue._

 

 

“Oh, that happens to me all the time,” a voice said cheerily behind me and I slammed my math notebook shut with a bang and jumped off the brick wall behind our block of flats.

“This is private,” I yelped as I felt my ears burning.

“Quite alright,” the man in the trench coat said whipping on his heels. “So, you ready?”

“What for?” I stuffed my notebook into my backpack and swung it over my shoulder.

“To save the Earth, of course,” the man said with a wild grin as he turned towards the alley.

I tried to keep my expression neutral as I thought, ‘Nutter!’

“Oh, don’t worry,” a woman with flaming red hair said as she stepped out of the alley. “He’s always a bit over excited before a new adventure.”

‘Even better – now there are two of them,’ I thought, slowly turning away from the pair.

“I’m Donna, by the way,” she said extending her hand.

“Nils,” I stuttered. No grown-up ever introduced themselves to me, especially not a woman. Not that she was gorgeous like the superheroes in my comics, but she looked great, in a motherly-kind-of-way and she had boo—.

“Well, he’s about to save Earth and everybody on it, but if we stay here wagging our tongues, the rift in time will open and—.”

“And the whole of reality will implode or something,” Donna winked at me. “Big stuff, but he’s probably right.”

“Of course I am!” The man leant his slim body into the alley. “Can we go NOW, then?”

“Where do you want me to go?” I asked carefully, completely ignoring all my mum’s warnings about not talking to strangers.

“Back to his ship,” Donna nodded towards the alley. “Doesn’t look like much from the outside.”

“Oi,” the man protested, already disappearing.

“A ship as in spaceship?” I asked, trying to hide my excitement.

Donna nodded seriously, “…and time machine.”

“You’re pulling my leg,” I said, trying to peek past her.

Donna grinned and stepped aside, but all I could see was shadows as the afternoon light faded away. I swallowed and kicked a pebble. “I’m not supposed to go with strangers and…”

“Smart boy!” The man shouted from the shadows. “I’ll bet your mum told you that.”

I nodded.

“Good,” he stepped back into the light. “Sorry, I’m forgetting my manners. I’m the Doctor!” and he shook my hand enthusiastically with both of his. “Always wanted to shake the hand that will save the Earth.”

Donna rolled her eyes.

He grinned wildly. “So you’re Sally’s son?”

“You know my mum?” My eyes widened and he nodded with a smile. “You’re THE Doctor?”

“The one and only,” he puffed out his chest and Donna nudged her elbow into his side. “Ouch!” He rubbed his ribs indignantly. “I met your mum only briefly. Does your dad still own the video store?”

“DVDs and Blu-rays now,” I corrected him with pride.

“Right, technology moved on,” he tapped his lips thoughtfully and we watched him expectantly.

“NOW,” he yelled making Donna and me jump “that we KNOW each other. Can we go NOW?”

 

 

 

“Where are we going?” I repeated my question for the n’th time, still ogling the inside of his ship. Mum will never believe this. Not after the disaster, I thought sadly.

“Better hold on to something,” Donna said as she wrapped her arm around a pillar. “Lift off is a bit bumpy.”

The Doctor shot her a reproachful look. “I’m just one Timelord to stir this ship.”

“So?” Donna raised her eyebrows.

“Never mind,” the Doctor muttered as he pulled a lever down and the ship shuddered like it was about to fall apart. My legs shook wildly and felt—.

 “A bit wobbly?” Donna asked with a sympathetic smile. “It will pass.”

As if the ship heard her, it calmed down and vibrated smoothly like the Adler sewing machine my Gran used to have.

“So, don’t you think it’s time to explain to young Nils why we picked him up?” Donna asked the Doctor as he strolled around the console, turning a dial here, flipping a switch there.

“Nah, spoilers. What’s the fun in that?”

“You said I’m supposed to save Earth?” I asked tentatively. “Why me? I’m no hero.”

The Doctor looked up. “Not YET.” He winked and busied himself with the screen. I came a bit closer.

“But I’m not even brave,” I whispered, fiddling with the strap of my backpack. Better to let them know there was a mistake sooner rather than later. “You gotta’ve picked up the wrong boy.”

“Nah,” the Doctor said dismissive and dug his right hand deep into his inside pocket while still staring at the screen. Adjusting a dial with his other hand, he produced a small black wallet and threw it to me. “The psychic paper told me to get you.”

I opened the wallet with a sinking feeling, not believing a word he said. For sure, it would reveal me as a fraud. I read the note and gulped the tears down.

“See,” the Doctor said proudly, eyes still forward, hands twiddling a couple of dials.

“Yep,” I said quietly and threw it on the console. “It says ‘Nils is a loser.’”

“Nooooh?” the Doctor looked at me. “What? That’s not the message.”

He picked up the wallet, pursed his lips, and snipped his finger against it. He frowned and shook it. He held it close to his nose, and then his face broke into a smile.

“Here you go,” he showed me the paper.

It read: ‘Get Sally’s son to save the Earth.’

“It’s psychic paper, so it shows what you think, you see,” he explained, satisfied as if talking about a child that behaved well at dinner.

He looked at me, head tilted. “You want to be a loser?” He sounded interested, but a bit confused.

Donna snorted. “Nobody wants to be a loser. It’s others that classify you.” She put an arm around my shoulder.

“Nah, excuses,” the Doctor waved the psychic paper dismissively before stuffing it into his pocket. “You make your own categories.”

“Yeah, easy for you to say, one-of-a-kind spaceman,” Donna squeezed my shoulder and the Doctor scowled at her. She laughed and went beside him. “So, where are we headed?”

The room shuddered with a clang and the Doctor leaned into the screen.

“Here we are then…” he let the sentence trail off as the screen pinged. He adjusted a dial. “Mmh.”

“Doctor?” Donna looked at him expectantly.

“Nah, probably nothing,” he patted his pockets and fumbled for a pair of glasses. He put them on before leaning in even closer to the screen, tapping it with his fingertip. “Mmpf.”

“Never mind then,” Donna went over to me. “Let’s have a look. You won’t get more out of him when he’s this mono-syllabic.”

We were half-way across the room before the Doctor called out. “Be careful!”

Donna turned around surprised. The Doctor leaned relaxed against the console, legs crossed at the ankles. “You’re not coming?”

“I’m not the one saving the Earth this time.” He trailed his long fingers over some instruments.

“Not like you to miss out on an opportunity for trouble,” Donna tilted her head.

He shrugged before scratching his neck.

“So, you’re not coming?” Donna’s eyebrow arched up. “But it’s safe for Nils, isn’t it?”

“As safe as life is,” the Doctor said cryptically.

“Well, I’m not letting him go alone.”

“Good for you,” the Doctor turned around. “And while you two are out saving the Earth, I’m just gonna check on something.”

“Fine.” Donna grabbed my hand and she marched me out.

No sooner had we closed the door, there was this strange grinding noise, and the TARDIS disappeared.

“DOCTOR!” Donna stared at the empty space putting her hands on her hips. “Come back here!”

But only silence greeted us after the blue box had vanished.

“Well, then,” Donna huffed crossing her arms. “Where are we?”

“A market place?” I offered, “but without people.”

“Where is everybody?” Donna turned around.

“Just what I was saying,” the Doctor’s voice came from behind us.

Donna shot around. “How could you just leave us here? What were you thinking? Gormless as usual!” She punched his arm. “You scared the heck out of me. What were Nils and I supposed to do? Hitchhike back?”

The Doctor stared at her wide-eyed. “Donna Noble! What are you doing here? And for the record, I didn’t leave you. You didn’t want to travel with me.”

He looked over his shoulder. “Martha should have been right behind me or—,” he swung around, “have you seen a young woman running by?”

“Young?” Donna asked pointedly.

“Yeah,” he said distractedly, scanning the area around him. “She’s traveling with me.”

“I thought you travel with the Doctor?” I piped up. “Are there more?”

The Doctor looked at me, surprised and Donna slapped her hand on her forehead. “Of course! That’s why he couldn’t get out. Crossed timelines, imploding relativities and the whole shebang.”

“What?” The Doctor rubbed the back of his head.

“Nothing,” Donna brushed him off. “Don’t let us keep you.”

He wriggled his nose, hopping indecisively from one foot to the other.

“You must be on important business,” Donna said airily as a female shouted the Doctor’s name in the distance.

He spun around. “I lost Martha at the last time portal.”

“Yeah, you have that tendency,” Donna said softly and looked at him with compassion. “I’ll bet you find her soon.” She squeezed his arm. “You should be off.” She pushed him gently towards a side street.

I looked open-mouthed at them. “Why is he not staying with us? And why did he switch suits?”

“I like blue,” the Doctor protested, “And I didn’t change it. I’ve worn it all day.”

“And it looks like it too,” Donna said with a smirk.

“What?” mouthed the Doctor, looking down at his wrinkled suit. He tried to smooth the lines half-heartedly. “Well, busy day.”

“And we shouldn’t keep you. Martha needs you.”

“You know Martha?” The Doctor eyed her suspiciously.

Donna shrugged. “Only from your stories.”

The Doctor rubbed his chin. “I hadn’t met Martha yet when you and me drained the Thames.”

“Ooops,” Donna covered her mouth with her hand, “me and my big mouth. Never mind.” She smiled half-heartedly.

“So, wait a minute,” the Doctor tapped his finger to his lips.

“Don’t strain your pretty head over it,” Donna said and the Doctor’s eyebrows cocked up. “We should be off, too.” She pushed me to the opposite direction.

“Where to?” the Doctor and I asked the same time.

“And how come you’re on Earth in the 29th century?” the Doctor tilted his head innocently.

“Oh, well,” Donna evaded his stare and shrugged. “Done a bit of traveling on me own.”

I stared at both of them. “29th century? We’re in the future?” I nudged Donna to get her attention and she turned to me.

“Cool, isn’t it?”

“Way cool! Wait till I tell my friends,” I said, beaming at the Doctor and his eyes soften as a smile crooked on his lips.

“First time travel?”

Donna nodded. “He’ll get used to the excitement and the rush.”

“Like you have, then?” the Doctor locked eyes with Donna’s. She gulped and tried not to blink.

“Don’t try to get into my head, spaceman!” she croaked out in a meager attempt of threat.

“I would need to touch your temples, but I guess you already knew that,” the Doctor said quietly.

Donna grinned, relieved. “Oh, yes, forgot that.”

“So, are you explaining what you’re doing here or—,” a scream interrupted him.

He spun around on his heels.

“DOCTOR,” the female screeched and he bounced back to Donna, undecidedly.

“DOCTOR!” the woman sounded angry and frightened.

Donna nodded her head in the scream’s direction. “You better get going. Martha has a strong will and might just jump through the gate without you.”

“She might. Hey, how’d you know?” the Doctor wiggled his head.

“She seems to be in trouble,” Donna said softly and gave him a gentle push. “Better have a look.”

The Doctor nodded and sprinted off, but stopped a couple of steps later. He turned back. “You are okay, though? You’re not stranded?”

Donna shook her head. “Don’t think so. He wouldn’t leave us.”

“Good,” the Doctor sounded relieved. “Take care.”

“You, too,” Donna said with a smile.

He grinned. “Looking forward to traveling with you.” He winked and was gone.

“Can you tell me what’s going on?” I pulled Donna’s sleeve. “Why can’t he remember traveling with us? Who is Martha?”

Donna sighed. “So many questions.”

“Oh, you’re just like all adults,” I turned away from her, annoyed. “You’ll just say ‘it’s nothing’ to save yourself the explanation.”

Donna laughed. “We do tend to do that, don’t we?”

I crossed my arms and ignored her. She stepped around so I had to look at her.

“But I was not gonna do that,” she said and a ‘Yeah, right’ escaped my mouth.

Donna tilted her head back and roared with laugher. I stared at her open-mouthed.

“That is normally my line.”

I snapped my mouth shut not believing a word.

“I couldn’t say a thing so as not to disrupt the Doctor’s timeline.” She explained, wiping a tear from her eye.

“His what?” I said before I could stop myself.

“You know he’s a Timelord, who travels in time and space, right?” She looked at me and I nodded.

“So, for him time doesn’t flow in a line from beginning to end. He jumps in and out, pops up in different areas and times. He doesn’t always meet people in the right order.”

My face must have looked as confused as I was for she continued with a smile.

“That Doctor wasn’t ours.”

“He looked and sounded like him,” I interrupted and Donna’s smile grew wider.

“That was an earlier version of him. One before he traveled with me, and now you, too.” Donna said looking expectantly.

“So OUR Doctor is still floating—,” my sentence was overpowered by the sound of the TARDIS, wheezing and groaning as it reappeared on the street corner.

“— in this ship,” Donna finished.

The door opened and the Doctor stepped out in a suit that wasn’t blue or wrinkled, wearing a big grin. “All right, then. Did I miss something?”

I eyed Donna and she nodded. “That’s our version.”

He looked at her. “The one and only.”

“But you were just here. Not recognizing us. With a different woman. Her name was Martha,” I sputtered out.

The Doctor crooked his eyebrow. “So, those were the strange readings. They gone?” he turned to Donna.

“Timeportal. Jumped through.”

“Good. Shall we go, then?” he spun around.

“Wait a minute,” I looked at Donna accusingly. “You promised to explain.”

At the Doctor’s raised eyebrow, Donna shrugged. “He can do it better. You know, the whole crossed timelines, universe exploding codswallop.”

“It’s not codswallop. It’s an important matter,” the Doctor said indignantly and Donna motioned him to go on with a ‘yeah, yeah.’

“I assume – well I know now – that you have met a younger version of me. I can’t cross my personal timeline. If I were to meet myself in the past, present or future, the consequences could be catastrophic.”

“The whole universe, time and reality imploding catastrophic,” Donna added with a voice that suggested she had heard the story many times before.

“Exactly,” the Doctor said, popping his head for emphasis.

“So, why didn’t you know before you landed?”

“Good question! Smart boy!” the Doctor said to Donna who nodded with a grin.

“You see my life is not quite linear. It’s more wavy. So, even if past me will remember meeting you and Donna, that lies in the future for me – got it?”

“No,” I said. “Your past hasn’t happened yet?”

“Kind of. Not important now,” the Doctor said while patting down his pockets. “We have—,” his face lit up and he pulled out a small box, “I mean YOU have- got to save the Earth, remember?”

He tossed me the box and I caught it in both hands. It looked absolutely ordinary, a bit like an old tea tin.

“So?” I played with it gingerly.

“You open it, and remember…” he paused and held up his index finger, “life is an illusion. You make what it is.”

“What’s that got to do with—,” I opened the box and green light exploded out of it.

Suddenly, I was in the middle of a forest, a stream bubbling beside me.

“Doctor? Donna?” I called out turning on the spot.

“DOCTOR! DONNA!” I shouted slightly hysterically at the tops of my lungs.

“What’re you making such a racket for?” a voice said behind me.

A troop of boys my age and all dressed in scout uniforms stood behind me, gaping at me.

“Take your pack and move on,” the oldest ordered with a frown.

“What?” I looked down and there was my pack, packed for an overnight trip.

‘Oh, nonononono,’ I thought as I grabbed it with clenched teeth.

“Get moving,” the oldest commanded and the boys turned and marched on. I hurried behind them, for I didn’t want to be left alone in an unknown forest.

‘Did the Doctor send me back in time?’ I thought gloomily as I trotted behind them. This felt like the time ‘the disaster’ happened.

They marched on for what seemed like hours to me as I watched as the sun crawl over the sky. Already the light grew wary in the big underbrush and in some of the tall trees it was dark as dusk.

“Everybody stop for camp,” the leader shouted and we all tumbled into a clearing. I sucked in my breath. The opening looked exactly like our Boy Scout Camp – the one I didn’t, couldn’t, I wouldn’t stay at overnight. I bit my lip. Not again!

The other boys were eagerly unfolding their tents or popping them up. Only I stood transfixed to the spot. I won’t stay, I swore last time, but would I have to now? Where would I go? How would I find Donna and the Doctor?

The pit in my stomach grew to the size of an abyss and I knew I couldn’t stay. I wasn’t ready for it. No, it wasn’t about that I realized suddenly, and the churning in my belly stopped. Mum had said that was why, but it wasn’t that. I noted warmth speeding through me. This was wrong. I felt it and I knew it. I had to leave.

“Do you need an extra invitation, sissy?” the leader towered over me.

“No,” I muttered looking at my feet.

“Well then, get on with it,” he shouted and the other boys stopped what they were doing. “Nobody’s gonna pitch your tent for you.” He bellowed out a dark laugh and the other boys joined him nervously.

Tears shot into my eyes as I balled my hands into fists. Not again. They would not see me cry. I felt the lump growing in my throat as it squeezed my vocal cords. They fluttered like hummingbirds, so when I tried to say ‘No’, they just produced a whiny, whizzing sound. I took a deep breath, but kept my gaze to the ground so as not to see their grinning faces. Rage boiled up inside me. They just don’t understand. They never do. Deep inside, I knew I was acting a bit silly, but I hated it when people didn’t accept my ‘No’ for an answer. A giant wrench seemed to be squeezing my guts inside out until all I wanted to do was scream or thrash at something, but that would only make them laugh even harder.

“You staying or not?” One of the cool boys called over his shoulder as he turned back to his tent.

“No,” I finally forced out through clenched teeth. The Doctor had said all is an illusion and I make it what it is. I straightened my shoulders and repeated my ‘No’ a bit louder.

“Suit yourself,” said another and they all went back to working on their tents.

“I will,” I said a bit too loud and turned away. Anger still churning, I stormed off till I realized I felt better with every step I took away from them. When I reached the end of the camp, relief washed over me. I took the widest path, sure it would lead me to a road. Once there, I would look for the Doctor and Donna, I thought determined. Suddenly I wasn’t worried at all and felt very calm. With confidence, I stepped over a murmuring brook and a white light engulfed me and suddenly I was in a huge building.

“Well done,” boomed the voice of the Doctor over some sort of speaker.

I shot around. “Where are you?”

“Well… close, kind of,” the Doctor said cheerily.

“He,” Donna’s voice piped up cheerlessly, “doesn’t want to admit that we are stuck. Trapped to be exact.”

“I wouldn’t have put it that harsh,” I heard the Doctor argue.

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Donna hissed back.

“Anyway, wherever you are Nils,” the Doctor said, “come and find us. I’m pretty sure you’re just a door away. Take the blue.”

“But I didn’t save the Earth yet,” I pointed out weakly.

“You passed the illusion, didn’t you?” the Doctor said proudly. “And mighty fast, if I might point out. Most people would get sucked into the peer pressure and stay overnight.”

“I would have,” Donna admitted. “It looked so real.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, “how come you can talk to me if you’re trapped?”

“Oh, he’s good,” the Doctor shouted, “smart kid!”

“This is another illusion,” Donna explained, “but we are really here, just trapped somewhere else.”

“So, don’t take the blue door then,” I said with a grin and opened the red door.

Instantly, the room behind me melted away and I bumped into Donna’s arms. I let her hug me tight, just to make her feel better, of course.

“Am I glad to see you again,” she mumbled into my hair.

I pulled back and looked at the Doctor, standing beside her with a smug grin. He ruffled my hair. “Well, done.”

Sirens howled and the Doctor spun around, swishing something he told me was a ‘sonic screwdriver’ through the air. “Yep, we were detected.”

“What now?” I asked, and Donna grabbed my hand.

“Now we run,” she said with an exasperated smile.

“Oh yeah!” the Doctor winked at her.

“But I thought you were trapped here,” I protested as the Doctor worked his sonic over the smooth walls.

“Just another illusion,” the Doctor said dismissively, “and since you have opened the correct door…”

A low grumble filled the room followed by a loud crack.

“Open Sesame,” the Doctor said grinning like a kid.

“Don’t tell me you met Ali Baba and his 40 thieves as well,” Donna said as she followed him through the door.

“Oh yes. Lovely chap. So cultivated,” the Doctor said conversationally. “Made a wizard mint tea.”

“It’s just a fairy tale,” I piped up, nearly jogging to keep up with them.

The Doctor held his sonic like a compass in his hand and not looking at me, called over his shoulder, “but most fairy tales have a grain of truth in them. What do you think inspired them?”

“People?” I asked skeptically.

“Exactly.” The Doctor stopped abruptly and we nearly ran into him. “Ordinary people have the best stories.” He winked at Donna, who blushed bright red.

 

We ran down a corridor.

“So what happened to you while I was gone?” I puffed out between breaths. How come these grown-ups could run so easily? I’m just saying Donna wasn’t the slimmest, but she seemed to have no problem keeping up with the Doctor.

“Training,” she said with a wink.

“What, you read minds too?” I asked embarrassed.

Donna laughed before answering. “No, just faces, and yours clearly said ‘why is she not puffing like a steam train?’”

I could feel my face blushing bright red and Donna flashed me a smile.

“Don’t worry, I get that all the time.”

“When you two chatterboxes are done, how about a quick sprint?” the Doctor interjected. “Something is right behind us!”

“What is it?” I looked over my shoulder, but couldn’t see anybody.

“Just keep running,” the Doctor pressed out and grabbed Donna’s hand.

The metal box banged against my hip and I fingered it out of my pocket. “Can’t we just use this again?”

The Doctor looked over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t—.”

But the lid already popped open and once again the green light engulfed me.

“Doctor!” I found myself in the middle of preparations for a canoe camp.

“Look what the wind brought in,” a voice chimed behind me. I shot around to find myself eye to eye with the most stunningly beautiful girl ever.

“What?” She raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows. “The cat got your tongue?”

“Get your canoe in the water so we can head out,” one of the older boys barked.

She tipped two fingers to her temple in a mock salute. “Aye, aye, Captain!” She tilted her head to me and added. “That’s Chap. He thinks he’s our leader.”

“I am your leader!” Chap protested and she grinned wide, then leaned in closer to me. My heart howled like a fire engine and I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“We just let him believe that,” she whispered conspiratorially and my heart decided to make a cartwheel, then she swung back with a laugh. “We’re ready, Chap.”

He grumbled something and marched off.

“This is ours,” she pointed to a blue canoe. “I’m Lulu, by the way.”

“Nnn-ils,” I stuttered, feeling my ears joining my face in color.

“Nice to meet you. Lets go!” We each took an end and carried the canoe to the water.

Water – that was my element and I was determined to show Lulu just how good I was in and on it. The river was an easy class 1 I noted, a bit disappointed, but then I saw that most of the other kids were quite a bit younger than me.

“Front or back?”

I just stared at her.

“Bow or stern?” she rephrased.

“You with me?” I sputtered, biting my lip, embarrassed.

“Unless you object,” she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

“Nononono,” I hurried to say as my blood rushed through my ears. “I just thought you were with him,” nodding to Chap as he passed us with a sour face.

Lulu threw her head back and laughed delightedly. “We’re not an item.”

“Good,” leaked out faster than I could stop my mouth and she raised her eyebrows amused.

“When you two chatterboxes are done, how about—,” Chap called over.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lulu waved him off.

The scene reminded me of somebody, but I just couldn’t remember who. Somebody had just called me that, hadn’t they?

“Paddling or steering?” Lulu’s question brought me out of my reverie.

“I’m a strong paddler, but I can steer too if you prefer,” I added hastily.

“Fine with me,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. “I like to keep in control.”

We jumped into our spots and pushed off.

‘Best - time – ever,’ I thought as we drifted lazily in the water down river, waiting for the other kids to catch up. My throat hurt from all the talking and laughing we did. I never met a girl like Lulu. She was interested in the same things, laughed at my silly jokes and even admitted that she enjoyed my company as much I as I enjoyed hers.

“Hope they come soon,” Lulu said looking over her shoulder. “I want to set up camp sooner rather than later to have time for a swim.”

Her words rushed like a bucket of ice water through my intestines. “Camp, right.”

She turned around and looked at me surprised. “You did bring your gear, didn’t you?”

My foot bumped against my backpack stuffed under my seat. “Of course.”

“Great we can roll our sleeping bags side by side,” Lulu said with a warm smile.

“They won’t allow that,” I said casually, willing my ears to remain in their neutral color. “There are always separate tents.”

“Tents are for losers,” Lulu said carelessly.

“No tents?” My voice pitched high as the hair on my back stood up.

“This is ‘Under a Free Sky’ camp,” she said in a teasing tone. “Already forgotten?”

“Oh,” was all I could think of as my heart raced. This is wrong. I’d never sign up for something like that.

“This will be so cool,” Lulu went on, but her voice faded out as my thoughts chased one another. How did I get here? Who signed me up and when? Mum? No, she knew I hated camps and would never go to a no-tent one. Something was tugging at the edge of my mind. I just couldn’t concentrate on it.

“You’re forgetting something,” I muttered over and over under my breath while we pulled the canoe to shore. Lulu raved about the place, unpacking her things. I dug my hands deep into my pockets, whipping on my heels. It felt like deja-vú. Whom had I seen doing the same thing?

“You’re not unpacking?” Lulu looked up.

I mumbled something and dropped my bag. Pulling the zipper made a tin box fall out. Surprised, I picked it up.

“Don’t open it!” Lulu screamed and I nearly dropped the box.

“Why not?”

“Dunno,” she bit her lip. “But it feels wrong. It will destroy everything. Think about the fun we had and will have tonight.” She smiled. “Give it to me.”

I hugged the box to my chest. “What for?”

She shrugged. “To throw it in the river.”

I laughed. “It’s just a tin box. Maybe there’s some candy inside.”

My fingers trailed the lid and I tucked my thumb under it. With a soft pop it opened and over the stream of green light I heard Lulu’s scream.

“What took you so long?” The Doctor peered strictly over his black-rimmed glasses.

I felt my ears burning and turned at Donna’s soft chuckle.

“What do you think, Spaceboy?”

The Doctor’s eyebrows nearly reached his hairline and made Donna and me laugh even more.

“What?” he asked impatient. “How should I know?”

Donna rolled her eyes. “A girl!”

My cheeks followed my ears in color yet again and I quickly looked to the ground.

“Oh,” breathed the Doctor and there was an endless silence.

“So, have you figured it out yet?” the Doctor finally broke the silence.

“Huh?” I peeked at him.

“You’re supposed to save the world, remember?” The Doctor took off his glasses and stuffed them in his pocket. “What’s going on?”

“How should he know?” Donna laid her hand on my shoulders.

“Well, he’s been inside, hasn’t he?” the Doctor countered. “We’re just scratching the surface.”

“Oh, that,” I said relieved. “Nothing special. Only some boyscouts making camp – in the woods,” I added hastily at his raised eyebrows.

“Why would you see that?” he scratched his chin. “Any grown-ups in there?”

I tried to answer, but he started to pace and just went on. “Where are all the people? The city was empty.”

Donna twisted her head to follow his erratic moves. “And who locked us in that room?”

The Doctor stopped on the spot and stared at her.

Donna fidgeted. “Well, we were trapped, weren’t we?”

“Donna Noble,” the Doctor exclaimed slapping his head. “That’s brilliant. So great! Oh, why didn’t I think about it?” He beamed at us, probably assuming we had a clue, but judging from Donna’s vacant expression she understood as much as I did.

The Doctor continued to watch us expectantly.

“So,” Donna started cautiously,“somebody in the background is controlling…” The Doctor nodded eagerly, motioning her to go on. Donna took a deep breath. “So somebody send Nils off to – to whatever,” she continued faster warming up to the idea, “and locked us out of the way, so we wouldn’t interfere.”

“Exactly,” the Doctor smacked his hands together making Donna wince.

I looked from one to the other not understanding a word. “But there was no ‘Mastermind’. Just other kids in a camp.”

“So the question is, where are they?” the Doctor looked like my strict Maths teacher, peering from Donna to me. “Any one? Any one?”

We both shook our heads.

“And we still haven’t figured out how to save the Earth and from what,” I said, glad to have my worry out in the open.

“Yeah, but if this is Earth,” Donna bit her lip. “Where are all the people?”

“Excellent! Another point for Donna,” the Doctor shouted and she winked at me with a smug smile.

“A world without people,” the Doctor tapped his index finger to his lips and looked around. We were back at the market place. Odd, I hadn’t noticed it before. Not a soul, not even in the shops.

“Maybe they’re at home?” I said doubtfully.

The Doctor snapped around. “We could look!” and before waiting for an answer he strode off.

“But you can’t just go—,” Donna started as the Doctor marched to the closest door, “— in there.”

“Just a quick chat,” the Doctor called over his shoulder as he slipped through door.

Donna sighed and motioned me to follow him.

The block of flats looked a lot like where I lived. Grey hallways with off-white smudged doors. Contrary to my block, there was no one in sight, no—.

“Hey,” I called out and the Doctor turned around.

“There’s no noise,” I whispered, pointing around.

“Why are you whispering?” the Doctor whispered back,  tilting his head.

I shrugged, “Because it’s so quiet here.”

“True. When I went to secretary school—,” she stopped at the Doctor’s raised eyebrows. “Only lasted a month – too boring.” He nodded approvingly. “Anyway, I rented this studio in a complex like this. You could hear every cough and fart three halls down.”

“Not here,” the Doctor fished out his sonic thing and swung it around. “No readings, just biomass.”

I looked at Donna who just grimaced. “English?”

The Doctor looked surprised, as if he had forgotten about us and was happy to find us again. “Well, there are lots and lots of humans here using lots and lots of energy.”

“Sounds like Earth,” Donna said with a grin.

“Well, let’s ask somebody.” The Doctor knocked on the closest door. Without a sound, it swung open.

“Hullo? Anybody home?” the Doctor poked his head through.

No answer.

He looked back at us, then slid through the door.

“Yep, looks just like back then.” Donna commented as we entered a tiny hallway with a kitchenette leading to an all-in-one-room, which was dimly lit. The light came from a greenish computer screen idling with a concentric rings screensaver.

I gasped when my eyes adjusted. Linked, to the computer by a clear cable to their noses sat a family of four: mother, father, and two boys my age.

“HELLOoooo,” the Doctor chirped, stepping in front of them. He waved his hand before their eyes, but got no reaction. He fingered for his glasses and shoved them on his nose. Carefully, he examined the connections from the computer trailing them with his long fingers all the way back to their noses. Gently, his fingertips tugged at the connection.

“Don’t pull it,” I called out and he dropped his hand.

“Why do you say that?” he peered over his glasses.

I shrugged, uneasy under his stare.

“He’s right, though,” Donna interjected. “Who knows what happens. You could kill them. After all, he,” she pointed to me, “is the Earth saver, remember.”

The Doctor nodded, pulled off his glasses, and stepped back. “All yours, Nils.”

“Um, well.”

“Go ahead,” Donna pushed me gently forward.

I looked at the connections and they looked a lot like the ones on my computer, so I moved to the keyboard and the screensaver died as a window flickered to life. It looked all fancy and stylish, but had similar icons to mine. I touched the mouse and hovered the pointer over the external connection shown on the screen. “On my computer, you have to eject the device,” I explained moving the mouse as the Doctor leant in closer. “Otherwise, you might lose data.”

“Really?” the Doctor pulled back. “How retro.” He winked at Donna and she grinned back.

I clicked the eject icon, the cables fell out of their noses and the family blinked to life.

The father jumped to his feet so fast his chair tumbled over. “Who are you?”

“Hello,” the Doctor beamed, wiggling his fingers in a wave.

“We were just, just,” Donna stuttered, “visiting.”

“Yep,” the Doctor piped up. “But you were all hooked up, so we couldn’t say hi.”

“I wanna go back, daddy!” one of the boys whined and his brother screwed up his face in anger. “I was just winning for my soccer team.” He looked quite chubby and not at all the sporty type, I thought.

“My roast will burn if you don’t get me back,” the wife complaint wringing her hands.

Donna smiled compassionately. “But it’s just an illusion.” She looked at the Doctor for help.

“Virtual reality,” he nodded pleased with himself.

“For you maybe,” the Dad glowered. “For us, it’s life.”

The other family members nodded.

“But real life is so much more,” the Doctor said, taken aback.

“It is real,” the little boy protested. “I feel and smell and everything.”

“It’s all more enhanced, your senses, you know,” his older brother explained.

“But it’s a machine—,” the Doctor ruffled his hair. “You should be out there.” He gestured vaguely at the world outside.

“Yeah, right,” the Dad said bitterly. “Look around you. What reality do we have to go back to? A dingy studio for a family of four.”

The Doctor surveyed his surroundings.

“That is all I could offer my family before we connected. And we lose our spot if we stay disconnected too long.” He looked over to his family with a smile. “All ready?”

They grabbed the cables, nodded happily and before the Doctor could stop them, they plugged them back into their noses.

“Well—,” Donna breathed, lost for words.

The Doctor stared darkly at the computer.

“How do you save somebody who doesn’t want to be saved?” I asked Donna, not daring to look at the Doctor.

“You convince them before you - HA!” the Doctor rapidly tapped the keyboard, “before you sever the connection.”

“Whatcha found?” Donna asked, not bothering to read the script on the screen.

“An energy source,” he looked up, “separate from the computer network.”

“So?” Donna mouthed.

He pulled himself up to his full height,“and a location.”

“To the source?” she asked with a smile.

“Yep,” he looked over his glasses. “So, while young Nils is going back in—”

“He is?” Donna asked surprised.

“I am?” I asked horrified.

The Doctor went on without acknowledging our interruptions. “Donna and I will find out who is behind this.”

“You think that’s wise?” Donna asked cautiously.

“Why not?” The Doctor turned to her, surprised.

“Well, last time Nils nearly didn’t make it out,” she pointed out gently. “He might get stuck this time for good.”

“And what am I supposed to do in there?” I asked, feeling my knees wobble again. “Nobody ever listens to me. How am I supposed to convince them?”

“Oh, you’ll think of something,” said the Doctor as he took his glasses off and pocketed them in his suit. “I always do.” He twisted his mouth into a satisfied grin.

“Shouldn’t we check first, see if this is just an isolated case?” Donna asked, and I was grateful to her for buying me some time.

The Doctor shrugged. “If you deem it necessary.”

He strode off and into the hallway. Hands on his hips, he looked it up and down. “Which door do you want to try?” he called over his shoulder.

“How should I know?” Donna whispered to me and I grinned.

“Second to the right,” she called out as we reached the Doctor.

“Second to the right it is.” He marched purposefully down the corridor. At the door he pulled out his screwdriver and the door opened with a loud click.

“Hello? Anybody home?”

Without waiting for a reply he wandered in and Donna motioned me to go, following right at my heels.

The flat was a bit bigger than the last and looked homier.

“Same here,” the Doctor called from the lounge.

“Lulu!” Her name escaped my lips as I stepped in after him.

The Doctor looked up, surprised. “How do you know her?”

“She was in my second trip.”

“Mmh,” hummed the Doctor thoughtfully as he tapped his lip with his screwdriver. “So the people you met are real – not just in your imagination.”

“Must be,” I said slowly, then I remembered. “You know, I think I met one of the boys from the other flat before, too.”

“In the same trip?” Donna eyed the locked-in family with pity.

I shook my head. “No, on the first trip. There were so many scouts, I didn’t recognize him at first.”

“That must mean something.” The Doctor bent closer and examined the connection.

“What?” Donna leant in, too.

“Don’t know,” he yelled as he swung back and Donna looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

“Stop that,” she chided, slapping him hard on the arm.

“Ouch!” he grumbled, rubbing the spot.

Donna ignored him, studying the family. “Do they look a bit pale to you?”

The Doctor’s head shot around. “A bit drained?”

Donna nodded.

The Doctor patted his pockets until he produced a stethoscope. He went over to Lulu and placed it on her head.

“Um—,” I was about to point out, but Donna waved me off.

“Multiuse instrument – quite different from the Earth ones. I bet he can hear flea coughing with it.”

I grinned, but the Doctor looked up concerned. “Flea cold. Could mean something.”

“T’was a joke,” Donna said with an over dramatic huff and the Doctor winked at me, “…and you knew that.” Donna let the air out of her lungs.

The Doctor’s grin widened. “But you’re right. Something, something – maybe this connection - drains them.”

“Of blood?” gasped Donna, looking horrified.

The Doctor glanced at her seriously. “Life energy.”

Donna clasped her hand over her mouth.

“Well, one more reason for Nils to be off.” The Doctor turned to me. “Open the box!”

“What, now?” I looked at Donna, but she stared at the Doctor.

“No better time than now,” the Doctor said with a wide grin. “Allons-y!”

Donna rolled her eyes.

“Oh-kay,” I pulled the box out as slowly as I could and fiddled with it for a moment. “What if I get stuck?”

“Oh, well” the Doctor shrugged, “Donna and I will be stuck here. Oh, and yeah – the Earth will perish.”

Donna nudged him hard. “No pressure, then?”

“Hardly,” he beamed, whipping on his heels.

“Off you go then,” Donna said with an encouraging smile. “Hold on to the box. It will remind you of us.”

“He’ll be fine. See ya!” The Doctor grabbed Donna’s hand, pulling her towards the door.

I looked at Lulu one more time, the shadow of the girl I met, then opened the box. A familiar green light engulfed me as I repeated her name over and over again: Lulu, Lulu, Lulu.

“You called?”

I opened my eyes and there she stood, hands on hips. “About time you came back or I’d have to carry the canoe all by myself.”

“Forget the canoe,” I said. “We have bigger problems.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked with a smirk.

I pulled her aside. “This is not real.”

“Of course it isn’t,” she threw her head back with a cascade of laughter.

“You know?” I blinked like an owl in daylight.

“Sure,” Lulu said with a shrug, “and it’s ten times better than where I’m from.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I saw your home.”

Her smile faded. “Then you don’t need an explanation – here everything is green. I can do whatever I want.”

“And your family?” I asked quietly.

She shrugged. “They live their fantasy…”

“Without you?” I questioned, my voice sounding outraged. She studied me, surprised, before sadness flashed over her face and the virtual reality crumbled around us. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her living room, but in a flash it was gone.

Lulu’s eyes widened in horror. “What have you done?”

“Nothing, honestly!”

She eyed me suspiciously. “Are you here to destroy the illusions?”

“Yes!” I nearly shouted and the living room faded in again, more pronounced this time.

“Stop it!” Lulu cried out. “You’re ruining everything!”

Her parents swam into focus.

“Don’t you understand?” I yelled back. “The thing controlling the illusion is sucking your life energy out of you through the connection. It will do so until everyone on Earth is dried out – shriveled up like sultanas – till there’s nothing left of you!” I took a leap of faith (or something like that, at least I think Donna called it that.) “Then it will leave you all behind. The whole human race sucked dry into corpses.”

“I don’t believe you,” Lulu put her hands over her ears.

“And if I show you? Look at me.” I pulled her hands down gently. “Wouldn’t you rather live with your parents?”

“But we never do stuff—.”

“Because you’re all hooked up to that machine all the time.”

She stared at me.

“Come on,” I told her as I held out my hand the way I saw the Doctor offering his hand to Donna. “I’ll show you the sucker.”

Lulu bit her lip, studying me before she put her soft hand into mine. An unbelievable feeling rushed through me. It left trickles from my scalp to my toes and made me feel like Superman. ‘I can do this,’ I thought relieved, ‘this is easy, a piece of cake.’ The warm feeling spread further through me till Lulu’s question hit me like December rain.

“So where is this sucker of yours?”

“Um—,” I looked around. The illusion was strong again – not a trace of reality was visible. We’d been upstream, I thought, and asked Lulu if she been downstream.

She nodded, looking wistful. “There’s a beautiful lake down there.”

“Umpfh,” I wrinkled my nose and stared ahead. The stream was flowing forcefully – little currents twirled in the middle. Of course! Nobody would dare!

I pulled her hand as I strode toward the water. “This way!”

She pulled back. “Are you crazy? We’ll drown!”

“Trust me, please.” I looked over my shoulder.

She stared hard into my eyes and I tried not to blink. After an eternity, her green-brown eyes released me and her gaze drifted to the water. “Okay.”

“Perfect,” I shouted and pulled her hand.

Without looking back, we jumped in. The current was strong and pulled with icy fingers at our clothes.

“Nils!” Lulu shrieked behind me.

“Hold on to me. Just a bit longer,” I sputtered between gulps of water.

“I can’t… hold… on.” Lulu’s grip weakened and I tightened my grip on her hand.

“Just a bit more, into the middle,” I yelled over the roar of the water and the screams from the other children. They all stood at the rivers edge shouting and pointing at us.

What if I was wrong?

 

The thought grabbed my heart, or was it the ice-cold water? My limbs grew heavy and we were more floating down the river than going across it. Tiredness like liquid lead flowed through me. A cloud of laziness obscured my mind. My eyelids weighed a ton. I could rest them for just a second. Wouldn’t matter a thing, would it?

‘Nils – life is an illusion’ – the Doctor’s voice drifted through the cobwebs in my brain and I opened my eyes with a start. With two more strokes I felt ground underneath my feet and climbed up, dragging an exhausted and dripping Lulu behind me. The water lost its force and a grey hall faded into view. Suddenly we were dry. In the middle of the room sat a grayish-blue mass, kind of like a gigantic jelly. Lulu gasped beside me.

“Nils,” the Doctor’s voice sounded over-joyed. “You broke free.”

“And you brought a friend,” Donna added and I felt my ears burn again as I became aware that I was still holding Lulu’s hand. I released it quickly.

“What is this place?” Lulu craned her neck.

“Meet the Sacaphore,” the Doctor said, “but don’t come too close.”

We stopped in our tracks. “Why?” Lulu asked cautiously, “I thought these were your friends?”

I nodded.

“Oh, we are,” Donna piped up. “But you know in our ‘haste’ to find the source, we ran right into it.”

“No big deal, though,” the Doctor wiggled his head and now I noticed he looked pretty stiff.

“You’re trapped,” I exclaimed, fighting down the laugher rising from my belly.

“Again,” added Donna with an overdramatic sigh.

“Only intermittently incapacitated,” the Doctor said.

“What?” Lulu looked at me with round eyes.

“Don’t worry, Sweetie,” Donna called. “He always talks in quibbles.”

“Oi,” interject the Doctor.

Donna ignored him with a grin. “He wants to say we’re trapped.”

The Doctor wobbled his head trying to shrug, but his shoulders were frozen. “But Nils will change that any moment.”

“He will?” All three of us asked.

“And just how so?” Donna spoke directly from my heart.

“By stopping the Sacaphore,” the Doctor said cheerily as if I did that sort of thing every day. The mass squabbled wildly at the Doctor’s words. Without warning, it shot tentacles towards Lulu and me.

“Jump back,” I yelled and grabbed her hand again.

The slimy tentacles thrashed around us, leaving green slime in their wake.

“And you better do it soon,” the Doctor added with a bit of a tart touch to his voice. “Or this thing will suck us dry.”

I looked at Donna who tried to smile, but looked very pale.

“If it feeds on my energy, it will be too powerful to stop,” the Doctor said between clenched teeth, “I can still block it for a moment, but I can’t protect Donna.”

Her face had begun to turn an ugly grey.

“Tell me what to do?” I stepped forward, but the tentacle shot out again and Lulu pulled me back.

“You’ve got to get everyone disconnected,” the Doctor forced out each word. “Like with Lulu.”

“But I can’t reach everybody at once,” I protested lamely. “Unless I have a connection—.”

“The net!” Lulu exclaimed, tugging my arm. “Over there, a docking station with a data transfer.”

My face must have formed an ‘Oh?’ as I rubbed my arm, for she laughed delightedly as she ran to the wall.

“Before you dock, you can upload your favorite images,” she said, her fingers lying over the keyboard. “All we have to do take a pic of our new friend sucking your friends dry and post it.”

 

~~~*~~~

 

“Thank you,” Donna hugged Lulu. “Without you I’d be jelly food now.”

We laughed, glancing over at the Doctor running his screwdriver over the puddle that used to be the Sacaphore.

“Don’t just thank me,” Lulu grinned and Donna turned to me.

“Oh yeah, if it wasn’t for you, Lulu would still be in there – attached to the lifesucker.”

We giggled and Donna hugged me, too. Pretty embarrassing. “No problem,” I mumbled into her shoulder. “But I think Lulu was talking about the Doctor.”

“What did _HE_ do?” Donna pulled back surprised and swung around to inspect his slim form, bending over the puddle so close his nose nearly touched the slime.

“Don’t you remember?” Lulu asked surprised.

Donna tilted her head. “I recall you two arriving and then it’s all a bit fuzzy – mmh,” she bit her lip in concentration. “I think I heard the Doctor’s voice at some point and then…” she shrugged. “I dunno. Must have been a bit dizzy ‘cause I was on the ground and the Sacaphore was a puddle.”

Lulu peeked at me concerned.

“What?” Donna asked, eyebrows creased.

Lulu shrugged. “He said not to mention it, but I thought it was super cool.”

“Megacool,” I chimed in.

Donna shot around and called over to the Doctor. “What d’ya do to me?”

He looked up with a thoughtful frown, then returned his gaze quickly back to the puddle on the ground. “Just gave you a bit of my life energy.”

“WHAT?” Donna stepped closer. “What’d you do that for?”

Still kneeling, he glanced up. “You were dying.”

“Oh,” Donna stopped in her tracks, chewing on her lower lip. The Doctor got up and held her stare.

“How do you do it?” she asked finally.

“Oh, that was so super cool,” Lulu piped up and the Doctor gave her a stern look, but winked and turned to Donna. “I transferred a few years of my lifetime to you.”

“What, like a transfusion?” Donna’s eyes widened.

“You could call it that,” the Doctor said, tilting his head in thought. “Remember on the Ood planet, how I opened your mind to their song?”

Donna nodded slowly.

“Similar to that, I can open the connection and transfer a bit of my life force.”

“So I got Timelord energy running through me now?” Donna’s voice raised an octave.

“Yep. That okay?” he eyed her seriously.

“Dunno,” she wrinkled her brows. “Is it?” Worry flashed in her eyes and he smiled.

“Do you feel different?”

She tilted her head and thought a moment. “Nope.”

“Then all’s well,” he stared down at the puddle. “Well, not for the Sacaphore. But I gave it a choice.”

The sadness in his voice made Donna hesitate a moment, then she engulfed him in a big hug. “Thank you.”

He hugged her back with a big grin, but as she pulled back she smacked him hard on his arm.

“Oi! What was that for?” He rubbed the spot.

“You shouldn’t just give your life energy away like that,” Donna said with concern. “Now you won’t live as long.”

He chuckled. “After the first 500 years you mostly stop counting. I still got lots of years and tricks up my sleeve yet. Don’t you worry.”

Donna’s eyes welled up and he gave her a quick squeeze. “And you’re worth it.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled into his chest.

“You’re very welcome,” he pulled back and looked at Lulu and me as we tried to ignore the grown-ups sappy moment. “Okay, time to go home.”

“How do I get back to my family?” Lulu asked, sounding a bit nervous.

The Doctor lifted his screwdriver and ran it over her. “In 3 – mmh no, 2 minutes.”

“What?” Us three asked in unison.

“Lulu here is still virtual reality,” said the Doctor, pocketing his screwdriver, “and once the remaining energy flows back to the humans. Her image will disappear.”

“I’ll die?” Lulu’s eyes widen in horror.

“No! Why?” The Doctor looked confused. “You’re just an image, your consciousness will be transferred back to your body.”

“Simple as that?” Donna asked suspiciously.

“Scouts Honor,” the Doctor raised his hand in a Scout salute, complete with a wicked grin.

“Guess it’s goodbye then.” Donna hugged Lulu again and then pulled the Doctor away.

I buried my hands in my pockets and stared at my shoes. “Nice meeting you,” I said lamely.

“You, too,” Lulu said softly. “I had a great time.”

I looked up. “Me too!”

She bent over, brushing a kiss on my cheek, then faded away. My heart beat in joy and sadness as heat rushed through my body. Embarrassed, I kicked a few pebbles as I shuffled over to the Doctor and Donna.

“Yep,” the Doctor’s voice sounded satisfied. “Her energy arrived safe.”

“Good,” I mumbled still looking at the ground. I felt Donna’s arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go home.”

I peeked up and smiled. “Yes, please.”

 

 

The TARDIS rematerialized (that was what the Doctor called it) in the alley behind our flat. On the little screen I could even see Dad’s car parked on the street, so he was home. The Doctor pulled a lever down and turned around, leaning back on the console.

“That’s it. Back home.”

“What do I tell them?” I blurted out. “They will have been awfully worried.”

“Oh, nah – you were only gone—,” he twisted back and peered into the screen, “two hours and 15 minutes.”

“They’ll think you were with your friends,” Donna added with a smile.

“Good,” I sighed relieved, then shuffled my feet. Goodbyes were so awkward.

The Doctor pushed off the console and walked over to me. “Really great to have met you, Nils!” He shook my hand enthusiastically. “It’s not every day you meet an Earth saver!”

I blushed so deeply my ears felt like they were on fire, but when I looked him in the eyes I realized he was not joking.

Donna came over and gave me a hug.

“Remember, you can’t tell anybody or they’ll think you’re a nutter.”

“For sure not,” I said with a grin. “My Dad would never stop taking the mickey outta me.”

I stepped towards the door and looked over my shoulder. Donna and the Doctor waved goodbye.

As the TARDIS dematerialized in front of me, I swallowed the lump building up in my throat at the thought that I would never see them again. I shoved my hands in my pockets and knocked against a small tin box. With a grin, I pulled it out.

“Whatcha got there?” Dad’s voice came from his car, where he was pulling a box of DVDs from the boot.

I looked up. “A souvenir from an extraordinary trip.”

Dad laughed, putting the box down. “Must have been – for you to miss lunch. Did you eat at your friends?”

My stomach growled.

“Guess not.” He slammed the boot closed, grabbed the box and headed toward the flat. “Come on in then, I kept you some,” Dad said with a smile.

I pocketed the box and pulled the door to the stairway open for him. At least I would never forget my adventure!

 

The End


End file.
